Twin explosions at church in southern Philippines kill 27
Baku, January 27, AZERTAC
The death toll has climbed to 27 in the twin explosions at a church in the conflict-plagued Sulu province of the southern Philippines on Sunday, the police said, according to Xinhua.
Police Chief Superintendent Graciano Mijares, Philippine National Police (PNP) director in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), told local media that so far his office has recorded 27 dead, including seven army soldiers, and 77 injured in the blasts that hit the Jolo Cathedral at 8:15 a.m. local time on Sunday.
But Philippine military spokesman Edgard Arevalo said the military has so far tallied 12 dead and 42 wounded. Five of the dead were army soldiers, he added.
PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said the bombs are believed to be improvised explosive devices (IEDs). He said one IED went off inside the church while another outside near the entrance of the church. "It went off one minute apart, " he said.
Victims were rushed to the nearest hospitals in Sulu while those injured will be airlifted to Zamboanga City for further medical attention, an official military report said.
The victims are mostly Roman Catholic churchgoers attending the Sunday mass, local authorities said.
No group claimed responsibility for the terror attack.
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